Bodrum

Bodrum, on Turkey's southwestern Aegean coast, is the most glamorous Turkish resort — a whitewashed hillside town around a double harbour presided over by the magnificent 15th-century Castle of St. Peter (the finest Crusader castle in the Eastern Mediterranean), with a vibrant bar and nightlife scene, excellent beaches and a sophisticated art and cultural scene that has attracted Turkish intellectuals and artists since the 1960s. The Castle of St. Peter (now the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, the finest in the world) sits between Bodrum's two bays — its towers house displays of ancient amphoras, glassware and the remarkable Bronze Age Uluburun shipwreck finds. The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, of which little remains except the museum on site) was built here for the Carian king Mausolus in 350 BC — the word "mausoleum" derives directly from his name. The Bodrum Peninsula has excellent beaches — Bitez for windsurfing, Türkbükü for upscale beach clubs, Yalıkavak (now a superyacht marina) for the spectacular Palmarina market. The Bodrum nightlife — the Halikarnas open-air club was once the largest outdoor disco in Europe — has evolved into a sophisticated bar and restaurant scene around the old harbour. Day gulet boat trips to the bays and coves of the peninsula are excellent. Visit May–June or September–October for the best balance of weather and manageable crowds.